Autonomous Navigation

Build maps to support drone delivery services.

Fresh and Accurate 3D Maps for Delivery Services

With Hivemapper’s mapping platform you can use your delivery aircraft to create a fresh and precise 3D map to support autonomous navigation.

For safe and successful drone deliveries you require a detailed understanding of an area’s terrain as well as precise mapping of any possible obstructions and other sensitive locations. This was previously achieved with rudimentary elevation maps combined with sending personnel on the ground to manually survey an area and carefully plot all relevant data onto a map. Using the small and secluded town of Port Costa, California we built a map to demonstrate how Hivemapper can be used to operate safer and more efficiently for the purposes of autonomous navigation.

Map With Existing Fleet

For this collection we wanted to simulate the characteristics of a fixed wing drone which are often used for drone delivery in remote areas. This means limiting the turning radius to approximately 150 meters and using a fixed, forward facing camera angle. Using a lawnmower style collection and 4k camera, full coverage of the 1/2 square kilometer delivery zone was completed in just 20 minutes.

Fresher and More Accurate Than Satellite Maps

3D maps that provide far more detail than both satellite and topographic maps.

By having a 3D map from launch site to delivery target you have a complete picture of the ground you are flying over and all the obstacles and potential risks in between. Many regions have strict laws about unmanned aircrafts including what you can’t fly over, such as power plants or schools. In addition to making a flight safer, being able to provide this data can play a significant role in getting required government flight approvals.

Precise 3D Map for Every Delivery Site

Pinpoint accuracy and all the tools you need to ensure a safe and efficient delivery.

A fixed wing delivery drone will release a package 25 meters above the ground and it will land within a 5 meter radius of a specific spot. A thorough understanding of the delivery location is needed including exact measurements of open areas and surrounding objects. The 3D map also makes it easy to quickly find a spot and check the source video for an unfiltered look at the drop site.

Refresh Your Map Automatically

Maps that update with every flight. Automatically tell you what you need to know.

By adding cameras to the delivery drones every flight will be capable of updating the map. Whether you’re assessing new construction, landslides, or vegetation growth, Hivemapper will not only update the map but also call your attention to any modification using our Change Detection feature. This means that whenever a problematic change is detected you’ll already have all the data you need to quickly reroute future flights.